The Library's show
by FallingArtist
Summary: Laura and Carmilla are lost in the Library. Somehow they keep finding themselves in weird situations where they end up too close to each other... Will they find a way out? Do we want them to find a way out? ... Library ships Hollstein


**A/N: I don't even know why I wrote this. It's crazy, absolutely crazy. I'm not really sure it makes sense, but I had to try. So if this comes out awful I apologize from now. But if you're as crazy as I am and you end up liking it, leave a review :)**

* * *

 _For how long have we been here?_

 _Some thousandths of years?_

 _More._

 _And have we ever seen such a difficult couple?_

 _No._

 _No._

 _Nope._

 _No! Ugh!_

Previously that day:

"Carm, where should we go?"

"You had to follow that damn fox, didn't you?"

"It had nine tails! Nine tails, Car..."

"Not helping, cupcake, not helping. We're lost. Ugh."

Laura and Carmilla are right in the middle of a cosy little room that could totally belong to a child-Laura (who are we kidding, it could totally belong to nowadays-Laura). The dork in question is sprawled out on into what could only be described as a pillow castle and she's pouting at the pissed vampire pacing in the little space around them.

"Ok, so we can't really say that we're lost. You can't get lost into this library, well not in the actual meaning of it. I mean, you're already lost from the moment you step into this place! It has its own will, so..."

"So why does the library want us here?" Carmilla finishes for her.

Laura nods her head (maybe a bit too energetically) and scrunches up her face. "I mean, I can understand why the VHS, but now what? Are we in for another short of your life?"

"Please no." Carmilla makes a distasteful face. "And don't give it ideas, cupcake."

"What the hell...?" Suddenly the walls start to move closer together, coming nearer and nearer to the two girls and Carmilla is on the pillows too now, trying to push against the walls without much of a result.

"Why killing us now? I mean, it made us watch all those videos and now it's trying to kill us, why?"

"Laura, can you shut up for a moment?" Carmilla is still trying to keep the walls from coming even closer but Laura and she now share only the little space occupied by the pillows.

"Maybe the library didn't like that we call it "it", maybe it's a she." Laura starts rambling. "Okay, not a she. A he, then?" she looks around as if actually talking with the library (and why not, after all it is a supernaturally cool library). "Uhm, what about a they?"

The walls stop moving as suddenly as they had started.

"Uh, library's a they then! Great. Cool. Awesome."

Carmilla just huffs and tries to push the wall back, but it doesn't move of an inch.

"We're stuck. Again. So cool." she growls sitting down next to Laura who's rummaging into the pillows. "Cupcake, what are you..."

"Well, it's not that bad Carm, look! We have some chocolate and...oh, cookies! Uh, there's even some wine. Why would you keep wine into a pillow castle? Anyway, there's grape soda as well!" and she actually sounds as a happy child (well, she has a pillow castle, cookies, snacks **and** grape soda, what else could someone ask for?).

"Wonderful, cupcake. Wonderful."

Back to now:

 _And they didn't even drink the wine!_

 _Wasted. Such a good wine!_

 _We've tried anything, but they're just so impossible!_

 _Maybe we should just exaggerate a bit._

 _Huh?_

 _Oh yeah._

 _Yep._

Previously:

"Carm! That's an ice skating ring!"

"Laura, no. No."

But how could you refuse a little puppy its fun?

So Carmilla and Laura are skating on ice and Laura keeps falling on Carmilla, but it really isn't her fault. Damn, she's good at ice-skating, she's the best, she practices so much every year that she can't be bad. It's her skates, they just make her fall. It's like they won't go where she tells them to, they keep slipping and going in opposite directions, and it's not polite, really.

But Carmilla catches her all the times. Even though, if you asked her, she'd say that it's not really like she catches Laura every time she falls, a lot of times she wouldn't have, if it weren't for her skates, they just seem to move on their own and toward Laura's ones. Of course Carmilla knows that's not possible, though she should know better considering that she's a vampire and that shouldn't be possible.

Some times they even fall on each other because suddenly Carmilla loses her balance while she's trying to keep Laura up (and, again, it's not her fault, seriously, it's the skates, I swear!). And their faces are so very close, how did that even happen? They don't know, but there are lips so very near. And then Laura manages to stand, or Carmilla moves to make sure the other girl is okay. So those lips don't really meet.

Still previously, but a bit later on:

They ended up in the woods, again. Carmilla is pretty fine with the scenario – they're entering a clear that turns out to be less of a clear and more of a cliff – and the sun setting is beautiful of course, but she's kind of tired of running around not getting any nearer to finding LaFontaine. Not that she minds the privacy, being without the science psycho always interrupting them, but there's nothing to interrupt and maybe that's what's getting on her nerves the most. She can't really keep being this near to Laura, this close together, this intimate in places like this ('cause, seriously, the library has no bad taste) when she can't be with her.

"Goddammit! A cliff? Seriously? Where the hell are we!"

"We're never going to find a way out." Laura sighs and falls down on the ground, facing the sun set.

She's tired of this, she's emotionally worn out. She can't keep doing this, can't keep ignoring the urge to touch Carmilla in any little way, to kiss her, holy Hufflepuff it's like her lips are calling to Laura and the powerful light of the sun setting is just making it so much worse. But it's not like she can just get up and kiss the girl. It doesn't work that way. Not after Mattie's death and...and Danny's... Laura has to choke back a sob but her eyes are dry, she's ran out of tears some time ago. It feels like it's been ages since they were all together, hiding vampires, trying to find a way to stop Vordernberg...all of them still alive.

And after everything that happened, all the people they've lost, here she is, missing Carmilla. Laura is digusted by herself, and a part of her is upset because really you don't think about your ex when some of your friends died, you don't think about how getting back with her when her sister is dead because of you. But another part of Laura is disappointed because those are exactly the reasons why she should throw moral to the wind and kiss the girl. With everything they've been through she should just be thankful for what she has. Not to mention that Carmilla **is** a damn hero, she came even after Laura betrayed her trust and got her sister killed (though, if your life depended on a necklace maybe you'd want to hide it a bit better? Protect it a bit more?) and, yes, she still came for Laura only, not for anyone else, but maybe that just comes with being a vampire and having had all this time to be disappointed in humans. So maybe she can deal with Carmilla not really caring about other people, she must admit that even she could get tired of stupid vicious humans after centuries of witnessing their mistakes and cruelties. (Of course Laura will always try to see the good in humans, but she can admit that it's not always so easy) So shouldn't that be enough? She didn't think it was before, but she killed a man. She made a choice and she chose to kill him because she couldn't stand the mere idea of losing Carmilla. She's not that much better, she didn't care enough about another human not to kill him, she only cared about saving the girl she loves. She didn't really do a lot differently than Carmilla did. So maybe they can be enough for each other and it doesn't matter that much to be enough for the rest of the world.

And still, Laura can't bring herself to make the first move, she can only imagine how Carmilla must be feeling looking at her and thinking about how Mattie wouldn't have died if she hadn't told Laura about the necklace. No, Laura can't be with Carmilla, that would just be too selfish to even consider.

So here they are, a wasted sun set fading down the horizon.

Present time: 

_You know, it's not really morally corrected._

 _Yeah, totally unethical._

 _Huh, huh, you're right, one more reason to enjoy it!_

 _It's gonna be fun!_

 _Eheh let's do this!_

 _I swear, if this doesn't work either... I'm killing them!_

 _We're not going to kill them. At least not the small one. Please?_

 _You're the worst._

 _You do know that you are me, right? So we are the worst._

 _Oh we are, you two can bet on it!_

Yet another "previously":

"Huh, why is the ground so soft?"

"It almost seems wet..."

 _Splash! Splash!_

"Goddammit!"

Laura gasps coming back to breath fresh air, trembling from the cold water while Carmilla is swearing in some language Laura doesn't recognise.

"A lake! A fucking lake in the middle of nowhere!"

Laura ignores her completely, she's shivering and doesn't waste time complaining, she has to reach the shore. She doesn't even know how but they're right in the middle of the lake and it may not be a big lake, but the ground seems so far away and Laura starts panicking. She'll never reach the shore. Water keeps splashing on her face and she can't see properly. She knows how to swim, she took so many lesson she should be perfect at it, but the panic is clouding her mind, dissolving her competence in swimming and she barely floats. Sometimes her head falls under water and she's not breathing properly, until Carmilla stops swearing to the gods and finally notices her struggles.

It takes a while for her to notice, but as soon as Carmilla understands that Laura is having trouble staying calm and swimming she reaches for her arms and keeps her near.

"Laura, hey, it's fine, you're all right. I thought you could swim, cupcake."

"I...Carm... I...can...it's just... I..." Laura is choking and sobbing and Carmilla cuts her off and swims to the shore taking the trembling girl with her.

Once they're on solid ground again Laura braces her arms around herself and dips her head on her knees. Carmilla knows she's crying, but she doesn't know what to do more than to hug her and tell her that everything is fine.

"Hey, Laur, it's okay, you're fine. Hey, come on, we'll find a way out, I promise. Cupcake?"

But Laura is still shivering, Carmilla's jacket hanging from her shoulders.

"Laura? Please, talk to me. It's not about the lake, is it? Laura, if you need to talk about it... I'm sure Perry is fine...and the science psycho will find a way to get to her and..."

"It's not about them, Carm. I...I just don't like lakes." Laura is still sniffing, but she raises her head and she's only crying softly, not trembling anymore, the panic in her eyes gone.

"Hey." Carmilla simply says brushing away some hair from the other girl's face.

"Hey", Laura attempts a smile but it comes out more like a grimace. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to panic."

"It's fine, Laura, you don't need to apologize. I just... Do you want to talk about it?" Carmilla is still looking at her concerned and she only worries more at the deep hurt that crosses Laura's eyes at the idea.

"I...my... My mom... she died..." Laura chokes out. She takes a pause to breath and tries again. "She drowned in a lake."

There's silence for a moment and Carmilla feels a mounting rage against the library, but it's not really like she could do anything. Oh well, she could always go around destroying some things here and there in her panther form... But this is not the moment, now she should focus on Laura.

"Laur...I'm s... I will not let that happen to you, okay? And...hum... When you...when you feel like going into that dark place like you just did, well, you know, I'm just as dark, so if you need to talk..." Carmilla is definitely rambling, but luckily Laura stops her.

"Thanks Carm" and this time the smile comes out alright and Carmilla is a bit relieved. Laura takes the leather jacket from her shoulder and laughs a bit looking at it. "You know, next time maybe don't add another cloth full of water to someone already soaked." she chuckles. "I know it's leather, but that doesn't mean it's not wet."

Carmilla huffs something about never being happy and Laura's whisper cuts her off.

"I'm always happy with you..."

They both fall silent for a while and Carmilla sucks in an unnecessary breath. Gods, this woman. This child. She still makes her heart beat so fiercely it hurts.

But just as Carmilla is leaning in to brush away some water from parted lips with her own, Laura starts getting up.

"We should go. Or, well, try once again to find LaF. They could have news, or could be in danger, and what if your mother..." she begins rambling and Carmilla follows her into the trees.

Present time:

 _Here we go._

 _I swear, if this doesn't work..._

 _You're not going to kill them! Not the little cute one!_

 _Hey, I like cats, you can't kill the other one either._

 _You guys are no fun._

 _Ugh. How many times do I have to remember you that we're all the same one? So **w**... _

(multiple voices) _**We** are no fun. Yeah yeah, we know! _

"Hey, Carm, what's that?"

"What are you talk... Oh, damn it! Is that a fucking theatre?"

Laura shrugs and Carmilla throws her arms in the air. "Of course it is."

And it is true, there is a theatre right out the line of trees, in the middle of an empty land. The theatre is the only building in view and it looks very out of place, as if it had been teleported with magic like the house of Willy Wonka's father.

"So...should we enter?" Laura asks hesitantly, though she's kind of curious and actually wants to go inside, even if she worries about how much creepy it could be.

"Well, if the library took us here, I don't think it's going to give us many choices. We may as well get inside."

"So they want to make us witness a show?"

"Or maybe kill us in a house of horrors. Who knows what's in there."

Well, Laura is determined to find out, so she approaches the entrance and she's going to open the door when a hand stops her.

"I'm the immortal one, remember?" Carmilla pushes Laura behind her and opens the door.

The theatre actually looks like a normal theatre, no creepy surprises, no angry books flying around, no ugly tapestries yelling at you as you pass by. It's almost weird how normal it seems.

They reach a box and sit as the curtains are opening.

"Are we really going to sit here and watch this show we don't even know..." Carmilla's complaining is cut off when the curtains reveal a screen and Laura's face appears on it.

"What the hell..."

Laura is looking at herself, at a loss of words. Holy shit. She recognises the video, she remembers it from after the break up, but she was sure she cancelled it, definitely erased it from the laptop or anywhere else for the matter. "Crap. Carm, can we go? I don't really think we should..." she has reached the little door of the box, but it is locked. They're not going anywhere for a while, it appears.

Great. So Laura just has to stay here and die of shame, amazing. No, really, wonderful. Let's just witness her ex girlfriend watch a damn video from after their break up, when she was a damn disaster.

"What's this, Laura? Is it one of your vlog videos?"

Laura just looks at her helplessly and shakes her head. Carmilla is confused but her eyes go back to the screen.

So they're in a theatre that pretty much works like a cinema and Laura is going to die of awkwardness. How did this video even end here?!

 _Oh, hey, here comes the funny part._

 _Come on, this is it!_

 _If this doesn't wor..._

(multiple voices) _WE KNOW!_

On the screen a very depressed Laura is ideally talking to Carmilla, telling her that she couldn't just drop something like an "I love you" into a conversation like that and then leave and come back as if nothing happened and she still were the roommate from hell. She starts crying as she tells the camera about all her insecurities and about how it's hard for her to take Carm seriously because Mattie was probably right and she has had so many girls and why should Laura be any different? (I mean, a part that she's an adorable dork who's half a child and half a hero and a bit of a lost girl with a great mission). (Oh, and a part that Carmilla risked her life, took on her mother, faced a semi-god, revealed her sister's secret for her and didn't even kill the dimwits who helped Laura ambushing her)

The video ends with a Laura that says how sorry she is for not understanding that all this time Carmilla wasn't okay and that they needed to talk, and how maybe Carmilla was right but she has to try, she has to do something and help, and how she really really misses her. She tells the camera how it breaks her heart to see Carmilla trying to act all indifferent and fine when she actually knows that she's sad as well. And then, right before the camera shuts down, the Laura on the screen whispers "I didn't even get to tell you that simple 'me too' ".

And that's it, the screen goes dark and the curtains close again. Laura is not talking and Carmilla slowly turns toward her.

Laura sees all the questions in Carmilla's eyes, all the things she wants to say and she cant take it anymore, so she starts rambling. "I'm sorry about that, I'm pretty sure I erased that video from my pc, I don't even know how it got to the library, but then it's not like I can really explain anything happening here. It's just that...it was kind of a bad period and I know it was pretty much my fault, I mean that you left it was my fault, but I was confused and I didn't really have anyone to talk with, well, LaF tried to help but, you know, they weren't really much of a help and you were acting all..."

This time lips stop her from choking on her own tongue and she automatically raises a hand to intertwine her fingers in Carmilla's hair because, damn, it feels like home.

And then the kiss stops and Carmilla is looking at her waiting for something, because she always starts the first kiss but the second one is up to Laura, and Laura doesn't disappoint, smiling shyly as she presses her lips against the vampire's once again, where they belong.

 _Yes! I knew it would have worked!_

 _We did it!_

 _Well, if we're all the same one... I did it!_

 _Shut up! They're still kissing!_

 _Oh well, good, I didn't really want to kill them._

When they get out of the theatre after a lot more kissing, they're not even really surprised to see a nice small table lighted by candles, dinner ready on it and wine already in the glasses. The moon and stars are out and the night is warm and dreamy.

"Well, how do you feel about stargazing, Carm?" Laura is leaning against Carmilla and looks up to her with a smug smile.

"Stargazing, huh, cupcake? If that's how you want to call it..." and then no more talking, Carmilla kisses her and the dinner won't grow cold if it's left waiting for a while, the library will make sure of it, they always take care of everything when Perry's not there.

 _Don't look._

 _Why not?_

 _It's not polite! Give them some privacy._

 _After doing anything to get them to kiss and get back together, now you want to give them some privacy? Now that the best part is coming?_

 _You disgust me. I had no dirty intentions, I just wanted them to be happy and together because anyone could see that they belong to each other._

 _How noble of you._

 _Could you two shut up? I'm enjoying the show here, thanks._

 _We really should leave them alone._

 _And who would keep dinner warm then?_

But soon the voices become low whispers and then silence embraces the lovers.

* * *

Well, the library may or may not be Hollstein fan number one.


End file.
